Wheel-bearing for motor-vehicles.



PATENTED JUNE 18, 1905.

A. STEOHBARTH.

WHEEL BEARING FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED 00131, 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented June 13, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

WHEEL-BEARING FOR MOTOR-VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 792,559, dated June13, 1905.

Original application filed January 23,1904, Serial No. 190,370. Dividedand this application filed October 31,1904. Serial No- 230,754.

To (bi Z wiumt 2/27 may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST STEOHBARTH, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at est Pullman, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVVheel-Bearings for Motor-Vehicles and the Like, of which the followingis a description.

h ly invention relates to the driving-wheel hubs and the associatedparts for supporting the wheels in place and transmitting a rotaryeffort to the same, and is a division of an application for UnitedStates Letters Patent filed by me January 23, 1904, Serial No. 190,370.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple and effectivearrangement of wheelhub, driving-shaft, and axle end to give the mostconvenient and serviceable results under the trying conditions to whichthese parts are exposed; and to this end it consists in the novelconstruction, arrangement, and combination of parts herein shown anddescribed, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like or similar referencecharacters indicate like or corresponding parts, Figure 1 is alongitudinal section of my device, taken substantially upon the line 1 1of Fig. 4:. Fig. 2 is a section similar to that shown in Fig. 1, showingplain bearings between the parts. Fig. 3 is a section takensubstantially on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a section takensubstantially on line 1 4 of Fig. 1.

In the preferred form of my device shown in the drawings, 1 is thecentral or hub portion of a vehicle-wheel, the interior of which forms abearing upon the extremity of the axle 2. A part 3 of the exterior ofthe hub 1 is suitably formed to operate as a journal, and a part at isprovided to embrace the part 3 of the hub and operate as an additionalhearing or support between the wheel and the body or other parts of thevehicle.

Preferably at one end of the part at a flange 5 is provided, which mayextend to and be connected with the axle 2 in any suitable man-' ployedin these bearings.

gral with the part 4. and serve to connect this part to thevehicle-body.

Any desired form of bearing may be em- As shown in Fig. 1, rollers 7 7are mounted in a suitable cage 8 8 and arranged in the manner usual inrollerbearings between the part 3 of the hub and the part 1, and similarrollers 9 9 in a cage 10 10 are arranged between the hub 1 and the axle2, while in Fig. 2 both these bearings are shown as ordinary plainbearings, and it is obvious that in some cases, if desired, one of thesebearings maybe of the kind shown in Fig. 1 and the other of the kindshown in Fig. 2.

The shaft 11 is provided to transmit power from the driving mechanism tothe wheels. The driving mechanism may consist of pedals or leversadapted to be manually operated or any preferred style of motors and thepower may be transmitted therefrom by any preferred means.

A suitable bearing is formed within the axle 2 for the shaft 11, soarranged that the shaft is positioned at the center of the hub. Anypreferred form of hearing may be arranged between the axle and the shaft11. As shown in Fig. 1, ball-bearings of the usual and well-known formare employed, while in Fig. 2 the shaft is inclosed in a common plainbearing.

The power from the shaft 11 may be communicated to the wheels by meansof a driver 12 between the shaft 11 and the hub l, as shown. The hub 1and shaft 11 each extend slightly beyond the end of the axle 2, and thedriver 12 is formed of suitable material to fit upon the projecting endof the shaft and into the projecting end of the hub, means beingprovided to prevent rotary movement between the shaft and driver andalso between the driver and hub.

Any preferred means may be employed to prevent the movement between theparts above described. Obviously suitable keyways and keys may beprovided to accomplish this result; but the preferred arrangement shownin the drawings consists in squaring or otherwise so forming theprojecting end of the shaft 11 and the cooperating opening in the driver12 as to prevent any motion between them and similarly arranging thecooperating surfaces of the driver 12 and hub 1, or, if preferred, thedriver may be formed integral with the hub or permanently attachedthereto in any desired manner.

Preferably a plate 1a is attached to the end of the shaft 11 by means ofa cap-screw 15 or equivalent means, the plate being of suitable size toextend beyond the driver 12 and engage the end of the hub, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2. This plate serves a double purpose: First, it secures thewheel to the axle and prevents the displacement of the driver 12, and,second, it overlaps all the openings into the end of the hub and bybeing fitted tightly at its periphery to the end of the hub prevents theentrance of grit or other foreign substances into the bearings, and alsomay be arranged to prevent the escape of oil therefrom.

Obviously, if preferred, the driver 12 and the plate 14: may be formedfrom a single piece, as shown in Fig. 1. Particular attention is drawnto the fact that there are only two points where grit or otherundesirable substance can enter the bearings, hence only two pointswhere oil or other lubricant can escape. One of these points is at 16,where the end of the part 4 lies in proximity to a shoulder 17, whichmay be formed upon the hub 1, the other point the opening into the axle,and it is evident that both of these places may be provided with feltwashers or other means to prevent any trouble.

Having thus described my improvement, it is obvious that immaterialmodifications may be made in my device without departing from the spiritof my invention. Hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myselfto the exact form or construction shown.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A device of the kind described, comprising a wheel'hub, an axle, arotatable drivingshaft, and a bearing inclosing a portion of said hub, abearing within the hub inclosing a part of said axle and a bearingwithin the axle inclosing a part of said driving-shaft, in combinationwith means for transmitting the motion of the shaft to the hub.

2. In a vehicle the combination of a wheelhub, an axle a rotatabledriving-shaft and a bearing attachable to the body of said vehicle andinclosing a portion of said hub, a hearing within said hub inclosing aportion of said axle, a bearing within the hub and axle inclosing aportion of said driving-shaft and means for rigidly attaching said shaftto said hub.

3. A device of the kind described, comprisingaWheel-hub, an axle, arotatable drivingshaft and a bearing inclosing a part of said hub, abearing formed upon the interior of said hub inclosing a part of saidaxle, and a bearing formed upon the interior of the part of the axlewithin the hub inclosing a part of said driving-shaft, in combinationwith a driver fixed upon the extremity of said shaft and fixedlyengaging said hub.

4:. A device of the kind described, comprising the combination of awheel-hub, an axle, a driving-shaft and a bearing rigidly attached tosaid axle and inclosing a portion of said hub, a bearing formed withinthe hub inclosing a part of said axle, a bearing formed within the axleand positioned within the hub inclosing a part of said driving-shaft adriver fixed near the end of said driving-shaft and engaging said hub.

5. A device of the kind described, comprising the combination of awheel-hub, an axle, a rotatable driving-shaft, and a bearing inclosing aportion of said hub, a bearing within said hub inclosing a portion ofsaid axlea bearing within said axle inclosing a portion of saiddriving-shaft, a driver fixed upon said shaft and engaging said hub, anda plate attached to the end of said shaft and extendingoutward beyondsaid. driver.

6. A device of the kind. described, comprising the combination of awheel-hub, an axle, a rotatable driving-shaft and a bearing inclosing aportion of said hub, a bearing within said hub inclosing a portion ofsaid axle, a bearing within said axle inclosing a portion of saiddriving-shaft, and a driver formed upon said hub and rotatably engagingsaid drivingshaft.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

AUGUST STEUHBAR I-I. Witnesses:

BURTON U. HILLS, CiiAnLEs I. COBB.

